Pad holder and driver



Aug. 26, 1969 H. w. ERICKSON 3,462,839

PAD HOLDER AND DRIVER Filed Oct. 12, 1967 ll. 22 vlllllllzllmzw WWW 0 mm" I; A 26 INVENTOR HARE'Y W EE/c KSON ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 51380 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An attachment for a floor maintenance machine comprising a rotatable backing plate having a fixed member centering and holding a removable floor pad stretched thereover with 21 preferably resilient, foam-backed carpet material fixed relative to the plate and having the carpet pile in driving engagement with the pad.

Background of the invention The field of invention is abrading and particularly as it relates to rotary floor scrubbing, polishing and finishing devices for attaching to portable floor maintenance machines.

Heretofore, floor pads have been applied to and driven by the bristles of the well-known floor scrubbing brush as shown in US. Patent No. 2,995,765. Such devices are time consuming since they require the disassembly and reassembly of one or more parts to remove or retain the pad in a central position on the device.

In addition, the bristles of a brush are easily broken and, especially when they become short due to wear, are not sufiiciently resilient to allow the pad to quickly assume the contours of the surface being worked.

Further, bristles have relatively small contact areas with the pad, especially when driving a non-woven fibrous pad.

Summary of the invention Briefly, the present invention is a rotatable disc to which is attached any of the suitable and well-known drive couplings used with floor maintenance machines. A carpet underlayment of resilient sponge material is preferably fixed to one side of the disc so as to extend beyond its peripheral surface and provide a non-marring bumper. Adhesively secured to the sponge material is a layer of carpeting having continuous fialments of looped pile which engage and drive a floor finishing pad of non-woven fibrous material having a central opening. The pad is held against the pile and centered on the device by merely stretching the central opening of the pad over the larger outer end of an axially aligned, centering element fixed to and extending centrally from the disc.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the invention to provide a floor pad centering and holding device from which the pad may be removed or attached without the disassembly or assembly of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tapered holder for floor pad drivers which simultaneously centralizes and retains the floor pad thereon without additional fasteners.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved fioor finishing pad centering, holding, driving and contour conforming attachment for floor maintenance machines.

Additional objects, if not specifically set forth herein,

3,462,889 Patented Aug. 26, 1969 will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a bottom view of the assembled device with parts broken away to show the underlying components;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross section through the device taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial bottom view of a modified form of a floor pad centering and holding device; and

FIGURE 4 is a partial vertical section of the modified form taken approximately on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, wherein is shown the device or attachment 10 of the instant invention, a backing disc 12 has a central bore 14. On the top side of disc 12 is fixed by fasteners 16 a drive coupling 18 in axial alignment with the bore 14. The coupling may be any of the many well-known, commercially available types suitable for quickly attaching the device to the drive means of floor maintenance machines and vice versa. The disc 12 may be made of various suitable materials such as wood, metal, plastic and resins with or without fillers. Preferably the backing disc 12 is made of melamine formaldehyde resin and a filler of wood chips molded together; this construction being both waterproof and stable under the conditions to which it is subjected in use.

The backing disc may be provided, if desired, with a plurality of shower feed holes 13 around its inner periphery and through which a suitable cleaning liquid or water can be fed to the floor pad in operation. Optionally, the shower feed holes may be eliminated and the liquid fed directly through the central bore 14 and directed to the floor pad in the manner disclosed hereinafter.

Coextensive with the underside of the disc 12 is preferably an underlayment or layer 20 of resilient foam material such as sponge rubber, foamed polyurethane or the like, secured by a suitable adhesive 22 to the disc. The layer of resilient material 20 has a central hole 24 aligned with bore 14, and extends beyond the peripheral surface of the disc 12 to provide a resilient bumper which prevents scratching furniture or walls about the surface being finished.

A disc of commercially-available nylon or similar carpeting 26, having preferably looped strands of continuous nylon filaments forming the pile 28 thereof, is also preferably adhesively secured to the other side of the layer of foam material. The carpeting 26 has a central opening 27 aligned with the hole 24 in the foam material 20 and ext-ends outwardly to approximately the periphery of disc 12.

Fixed to the underside of the disc 12 within the central holes 24 of the foam and 27 of the carpet material, is a floor pad centering and holding member or element 30. The element 30 preferably has a tapered exterior surface or sidewall 32 symmetrical about the central axis and extending downwardly and outwardly toward its larger end from the small end at the base plate or mounting flange 34 fixed to the disc 12 by suitable fastneners 36. Preferably the tapered element 30 is mounted in axial alignment with the hole 14, and the adaptor 18 by which the unit is rotatably driven. The flange 34 may be integrally formed with the sidewall 3 32 as shown in FIGURE 2, or be a separate plate 34a to which the sidewall 32a is attached, as shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4.

The centering element 3%} shown in tubular form may, if desired, be asolid or a hollow, enclosed, tapered plug attached to or integrally molded with the flange 34.

Adapted to be placed in encircling engagement with the tapered sidewall 32 of the centering element 30 is a floor finishing pad 40. The pad has a central aperture defined by an interior peripheral surface 42. When in position on disc 12, the pad 40 extends outwardly in driving engagement with the looped pile 28 of the carpeting 26, to the periphery of the backing plate 12. The pad 40 may be of various commercially available types having a central locating hole. Preferably the pad is made of non-staining, non-woven fibrous nylon material or the like with or without abrasive particles therein depending upon the application. In addition, it is desirable that the pad be resilient and somewhat elastic so that it can conform to irregularities in the floor and be easily slipped over the large end of the centering element 30 after which it recovers and hubs the tapered sidewall surface 32. Another advantage of using such pad is that each of the individual loops of continuous strands of the carpet pile 28 tend to protrude into the pores of the pad for positive driving engagement with the non-woven fibers thereof. A typical pad of this type is disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,020,139.

It can be seen in FIGURE 2 that the central portion of floor pad 40 is depressed upwardly due to the fact that the axial length of the centering element 30 is less than the total thickness of the underlayment 20, carpet 26 and the pad 40 combined. The axial length of element 30 is predetermined to allow for normal pad wear and the combined total reduction in the initial thickness of the underlayment, carpeting, and pad due to other compressive forces so as to avoid having it contact the surface being finished.

The amount of taper of the sidewall 32 may vary depending on the type and the properties of pad being used. The large end of the tapered element 30 is larger in size or area than the central locating hole of the pad and of sufiicient amount of taper to prevent the pad from disengaging therefrom. However, the large end is of such size so that the elastic limit of the pad is never exceeded and the pad can be easily slipped thereover or removed therefrom without tools.

For example, a non-woven fibrous floor pad having a 3 /2 diameter center hole and about /2" thick was centralized and held in place with an element 30 having a tapered plug of 3% diameter at the large end, and a diameter of about 3 /2 at the small end adjacent the flange 34. In this example, the element 30 is projected 1 /4" from backing disc 12 and extended 1%" from the flange 34. The underlayment 20 consisted of /2" thick sponge rubber adhered to the backing disc 12. Commercial nylon carpeting of about /2" thickness was cemented to the sponge rubber.

The total of initial thickness of the sponge rubber, carpeting and the floor pad amounted to about 1 /2, which left about fii" clearance between the floor to be treated and the large end of the centering and holding element 30.

It is obvious that thicker pads can also be centered and held in place so long as there is a sufficient amount of contact with the tapered sidewall surface 32 to retain such pad in place. Using thicker pads increases the clearance between the element 30 and the floor to be treated. If desired, a thicker floor pad may be driven directly by the backing disc with or without either the sponge rubber or the carpeting attached thereto. The floorengaging surface of thicker pads extends beyond the end of the tapered element 30 whereby the amount of depression is reduced and the area of contact with the surface being finished is increased.

In FIGURES 3 and 4 is shown a modified centering and holding element 30a attached to a backing disc 12a having a central bore 14a. The centering element 30a comprises an axially-extending portion or plug with a tapered exterior surface or sidewall 32a fixed to a triangular shaped base plate or flange 34a. The base plate 34a is fixed to the backing plate 12a by fasteners 36a for rotation therewith. The triangular base plate is preferably that covered by U.S. Patent No. 2,995,765.

It can be seen in FIGURE 3 that the radial distance from the central axis of the centering element 30a perpendicular to each side 34b of the triangular shaped flange 34a is less than the radius of the central bore 14a and, therefore, leaves three segments of the hole uncovered to form passages 14b.

The passages 14b are provided for the purpose of introducing a cleaning liquid, water or the like, directly to the floor pad while the central portion of the flange or base plate 34a prevents liquid passing through the center of the member 30a. The backing plate 14a may, if desired, be provided with additional liquid spray holes as shown at 13 in FIGURE 2.

Alternatively, the flanges 34 or 340 may be provided with additional liquid spray holes and be of any other polygonal shape. Obviously, the tapered centering element 30 and the central hole of the floor pad may be of various shapes other than circular as shown and described above.

The centering device may be constructed of various materials such as metal, wood and plastic as desired. Further, the tapered element may be integrally molded or formed with the backing disc 12. Also, the element need not be tapered but may be provided with a larger diameter lip or rim than the diameter of the element adjacent the plate to which it is affixed.

To utilize the device 10 of the instant invention, the device as a unit is simply attached to the rotatable drive means of a suitable floor maintenance machine or the like which engages the adapter 16 which in turn rotates the backing disc 12, centering element 30, the underlayment 20 and carpeting which rotates the floor pad 40, centered and held thereon by the tapered element 30. The floor pad 40 is easily slipped onto or removed from the centering element by hand without tools. Fluid cleaning aids may be introduced into the central bore 14 or 14a of the backing discs 12 or 12a whereupon it may pass through the passages 13 or 1411 to the floor pad 40. Alternatively, the liquid cleaning aid may be passed through the center of the element 30 or additional holes in the flange 34, to the floor pad.

What is claimed is:

1. A surface finishing device for a floor maintenance machine which comprises:

a. backing disc adapted to engage with and to be rotated by rotating means on a floor maintenance machine;

a floor pad centering and holding element fixedly secured centrally to said backing disc, said element extending axially outward from a small diameter end adjacent and secured to said backing disc to a larger diameter outer end remote from said backing disc and free to enter a center opening of an associated floor pad; and

an associated non-woven fibrous abrasive floor pad having a stretchable center opening of initially smaller diameter than the diameter of the larger outer end of said element passed over said outer end so that at least the outer surface of said pad adjacent said center opening stretchably engages at least the larger end of said element with the inner surface of said pad in frictional driving engagement with said backing disc.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein said element has a tapered exterior surface symmetrical about a central axis connecting said smaller diameter end with said larger diameter end.

3. A device as in claim 2 wherein a resilient, frictional driving member is afiixed to said backing disc and interposed between said disc and the inner surface of said floor pad.

4. A device as in claim 3 wherein said resilient, frictional driving member comprises a pile carpet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1950 Watson 51378 10 6 3,302,232 2/1967 Wasiloff et a1 15230.17 3,341,984- 9/1967 Sickle et a1. 51358 3,354,488 11/1967 BiLde 15-23019 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 81,321 4/1956 Netherlands. 395,451 12/1965 Switzerland.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 15230.17 

